[News] Westboro Equality House - Home accross from WBC to be painted pride colors

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The Westboro Baptist Church is about to get a big surprise in the form of a new neighbor who plans to give the notoriously anti-gay group a taste of its own medicine.

Aaron Jackson, one of the founders of Planting Peace, a multi-pronged charity that has in the past concentrated on rainforest conservation, opening orphanages and deworming programs, bought a house that sits directly across from the church's compound six months ago. On Tuesday, March 19, he and a team of volunteers are painting it to match the gay pride flag.

The project -- which the nonprofit is calling the "Equality House" -- is the first in a new campaign Planting Peace plans to wage against the group. Westboro is known for its intimidating tactics of protesting (or threatening to protest) what they refer to as America's pro-gay, anti-God agenda, in close proximity to pride parades, soldier funerals and other events like the Sandy Hook memorial services.

"I read a story about Josef Miles, a 10-year-old kid who counter-protested the Westboro Baptist Church by holding the sign that says 'God Hates No One,'" Jackson told The Huffington Post.

"I didn't know anything about the church or where they were located, but that story kept popping up. And one night I wondered, Where is this church? I got on Google Earth, and I was 'walking down the road,' and I did a 360 view. And I saw a 'For Sale' sign sitting in the front yard of a house. Right away it hit me, Oh my gosh, I could buy a house in front of the WBC! And immediately I thought: And I'm going to paint that thing the color of the pride flag."

Jackson said he's always wanted to get involved in gay activism, but hadn't been sure of how to do it until this opportunity presented itself.

"The reason I haven't gotten into the gay rights activism is because, in a sense, it's almost silly -- it's 2013, are we really still in this position? It just seems ludicrous," he said. "But it is a real issue and kids are killing themselves. I've wanted to do something, and I knew when I saw that house for sale that it all came together. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a little crazy and there's no red tape in my charity. When I want to do something, I do it."

Planting Peace bought the house for roughly $83,000, and Jackson has been living in Topeka for just over a month. As he waited for the perfect time to transform the house into a very visible celebration of gay pride -- and a direct challenge to what Westboro preaches -- he encountered members of the group, including the Phelps family, which has run the church since it was established in 1956.

"They own the majority of the homes in the community, and I walk through the area every day, and I see them running in between each other's houses," he said. "One day I was walking, and Shirley Phelps [one of Westboro's main spokespeople and the daughter of the church's leader, Fred Phelps] was on her four-wheeler. And I said, 'Hey guys, how are you?' And [she and her husband] responded, 'Oh, we're good. How are you?' We had a short conversation, and she was extremely nice, and she made a joke and we all laughed."

"It's the craziest thing -- and it really throws you off -- because she's the type of woman who calls you "hun" and "darling" -- she's very Southern," he said. "It's like, aren't you the lady that's supposed to be casting me into hell? It's truly mind-boggling, but I can't say anything personally bad about her because she was kind to me and she made me laugh. She'd probably be fun to hang out with."

But pleasantries aside, Jackson said he's confident that the church is already wary of his presence and may be expecting some sort of action from him.

"They're extremely smart, and I would be willing to guess that when I moved into this community that they looked up property records, especially considering that I drive a Prius and I have an original reelect Jimmy Carter sticker on the back of it -- I'm a screaming liberal," he said.

Jackson said he's also witnessed members of the church taking photos of the house and the industrial flagpole he installed, which stands in opposition to the flagpole that currently flies the pride flag and the American flag upside-down in front of the Westboro Baptist Church.

"It looks like the United Nations is having a stand off with flags. These flag poles are huge. They know that we've forked out big money for this," Jackson said.

Jackson said he's seen people who he thinks are members of the church, including high-ranking member Steve Drain, taking photos of the house.

By the end of Tuesday, the Westboro Baptist Church will no longer be wondering what is going on at Jackson's home. But beyond painting the Equality House the colors of the rainbow flag and flying the flag from the newly installed flagpole, Jackson is already working on the next steps in his new fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) equality.

"We want this house to be a message that where there's hate, there's also love. But we also want to raise awareness and capital, and we want to put all that money into creating and sustaining anti-bullying programs, along with supporting anti-bullying programs that already exist," he said. "Beyond the symbolic message of the home, [the house] will be utilized by volunteers to live here, and these volunteers will work on promoting equality anywhere in the world and managing these anti-bullying initiatives that we plan on creating."

While Jackson understands that Westboro feeds off of the attention that it receives from the media and others, he said he believes that it's still critical to address their hate.

"The media has already given them such a huge platform, and I don't see that stopping," he said. "We're taking the energy that's being poured into them and turning it into something positive. This is how we plan on playing it: Use their energy and let's turn it into something incredibly positive for the LGBT community."

Jackson said he also sees the Equality House as one more step toward bringing about the demise of the organization. In recent months, the group has faced a backlash both from former members -- like Lauren Drain, who released a book about her life in the church and who recently suggested that Westboro's leader, Fred Phelps, may himself be gay -- and city governments, which have passed legislation aimed at limiting the group's ability to picket.

"I think the future for the Westboro Baptist Church is very bleak," he said. "These poor kids will hopefully continue to leave that church. They have a lot of kids over there, but unfortunately they're not in a place where they can make decisions for themselves."

Jackson is confident that Westboro's loss of power and relevance is just one sign of the good things still to come for the LGBT community.

"I love seeing all of these Republicans and all these people who have been anti-gay all this time jumping ship because they know they're on the wrong side of history. It's an amazing thing to see," he said. "I know we have a long way to go in fighting bigotry, but we all know the gays are going to win. It's going to happen."

To find out how you can help support the Equality House and its anti-bullying campaign, click here.

Hope they decide to spring for some security cameras, preferably ones that backup the vids to offsite locations. With how the WBC acts, I wouldn't be surprised if the house 'mysteriously' catches on fire.

If the WBC vandalizes the house, then the homeowners get to press charges, and the WBC loses. But I don't think it will come to that, the WBC is sort of careful when it comes to anything that might provoke police interference.

But I think this is awesome! Ignoring the WBC won't make them go away, just like ignoring any other problem involving bigotry and hate doesn't solve it. I was very excited to see this in the news...and excited to see that these guys are also Redditors! (I know this isn't Reddit, but I can't help it )

The WBC may be hate-filled bigots, but I do not think they're stupid enough to do something so blatantly illegal. What they will do is try to use that house to further their own agenda.

And as someone here has said, ignoring a problem does not make it go away. Rather, it can in fact exasperate the problem even further because what people like these thrive on is attention, and when they don't get it, they do something else, even more radical, to get it. Note I said radical, not illegal. A good number of these people are lawyers. They know how to skate right along the edge of illegal activity without actually crossing the line.

'Entertaining' them and combating them are not the same thing. I think what the guys across the street from them are doing falls into the 'combating them' territory, by being just as vocal and visible about equality as the WBC are about hate.

You keep equating the fight against prejudice and discrimination as entertainment. It's not entertainment. Not for the WBC, and certainly not for us.

One of the most successful actions taken against this group is to use their own protests to raise financial support for the LGBT community (to the WBC's chagrin), forcing the WBC to discontinue their protests. The work we do to fight against this group is paying off, with some pretty high-profile members (remember this group is mostly made up of family members) leaving the "church."

The loudest voices are the ones that are successful at spreading a message. So I ask you this, do you want those voices heard to be the ones for intolerance, and hatred? Or do you want the voices you hear crying out advocating for peace, and love? A dozen or so WBC protesters show up at a funeral or event that they object to, in response, hundreds of counter protesters drown out their voices of hatred with voices of love.

And you know something, I also think this 9-year-old boy has it right:

Do you think he should have stayed at home and remained silent too? His counter-protest, this simple displaying of a message that God hates no one, has received national attention. Sounds to me like his voice was the louder one, and it was the voice of the WBC that was drowned out that day.

Quote originally posted by Keiran777:

If they vandalize the property, would that be enough to legally (?) label them as a hate group and ban their protests?

The WBC is already designated as a hate group. They are prohibited from entering Canada and the UK because of their actions (notice I didn't say beliefs). However, being designated a hate group is not justification enough, in the U.S. at least, to prevent them from continuing their protests. Don't forget the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their first amendment right to protest all they want in the manner that they do. Hate speech, in the U.S. is not illegal. It is in Canada, and rightly so.

I've seen this pop up on Facebook. As much as I'd like to ignore them, as Moogles said, it will be interesting to see how this goes down. On an aesthetic note, that house looks lovely and it'd be awesome to visit it someday.

'Entertaining' them and combating them are not the same thing. I think what the guys across the street from them are doing falls into the 'combating them' territory, by being just as vocal and visible about equality as the WBC are about hate.

Yeah, I wasn't talking about the guy buying the house. No problem with that. Just meant in general the Internet's very "omg the WBC did this today :O". That kind of coverage fuels them, I think.

Quote originally posted by Jay_37040:

You keep equating the fight against prejudice and discrimination as entertainment. It's not entertainment. Not for the WBC, and certainly not for us.

One of the most successful actions taken against this group is to use their own protests to raise financial support for the LGBT community (to the WBC's chagrin), forcing the WBC to discontinue their protests. The work we do to fight against this group is paying off, with some pretty high-profile members (remember this group is mostly made up of family members) leaving the "church."

The loudest voices are the ones that are successful at spreading a message. So I ask you this, do you want those voices heard to be the ones for intolerance, and hatred? Or do you want the voices you hear crying out advocating for peace, and love? A dozen or so WBC protesters show up at a funeral or event that they object to, in response, hundreds of counter protesters drown out their voices of hatred with voices of love.

And you know something, I also think this 9-year-old boy has it right:

Do you think he should have stayed at home and remained silent too? His counter-protest, this simple displaying of a message that God hates no one, has received national attention. Sounds to me like his voice was the louder one, and it was the voice of the WBC that was drowned out that day.

By entertaining, I meant giving the WBC and their actions coverage. That's what I meant by ignoring them. Not coverage to those who oppose them. Don't publicize the WBC's actions repeatedly, but rather the response. So, yes I do want those voices to be heard. That's not who I want to stay silent.

I see the WBC revelling in and feeding off of the media coverage they receive. I know there are actions that oppose them, but I often don't see them. In the news I just see "WBC did such-and-such" not "There was a protest against them" or whatever other positives you listed above. That's what I meant. By strictly having that kind of coverage (the negative), you're entertaining their needs as it were. That's what they live for.

Perhaps doesn't relate 100% to this story, as this is about a counter-measure. But at the same time it's like... oh boy another WBC thread.

I see the WBC revelling in and feeding off of the media coverage they receive. I know there are actions that oppose them, but I often don't see them. In the news I just see "WBC did such-and-such" not "There was a protest against them" or whatever other positives you listed above. That's what I meant. By strictly having that kind of coverage (the negative), you're entertaining their needs as it were. That's what they live for.

Perhaps doesn't relate 100% to this story, as this is about a counter-measure. But at the same time it's like... oh boy another WBC thread.

You know, for a good part of my life I stayed silent. I ignored the idiots who spew hatred and intolerance from their mouths. I once believed as you did. Ignore them and they'll eventually go away. Only, they didn't. They got louder. They got more obnoxious. The only time they were made to become silent was to answer back in an even louder voice until theirs was no voice at all.

You can ignore groups like this all you want. Stick your fingers in your ears, shut your eyes and cry out "la la la la la" all you want. It won't bother these idiots one bit. In fact, by doing so you validate their message, because you refuse to take a stand. You refuse to give back a message of your own. Your silence, to them, is seen as capitulation, and it emboldens them, allowing them to commit more acts of hatred and intolerance, and laughing at you all the while doing it.

If one 9-year-old-boy who's had enough of these idiots is willing to stand up to them and fight against their hatred, why won't you? Why do you insist on remaining silent and giving credence to this group? Because that is EXACTLY what ignoring them does.

I learned the hard way long ago that ignoring a problem does not make it go away. It only makes it worse. I'm sorry you cannot see that. Maybe one day you will. I hope it's sooner than later.

The WBC is already designated as a hate group. They are prohibited from entering Canada and the UK because of their actions (notice I didn't say beliefs). However, being designated a hate group is not justification enough, in the U.S. at least, to prevent them from continuing their protests. Don't forget the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their first amendment right to protest all they want in the manner that they do. Hate speech, in the U.S. is not illegal. It is in Canada, and rightly so.

You know, for a good part of my life I stayed silent. I ignored the idiots who spew hatred and intolerance from their mouths. I once believed as you did. Ignore them and they'll eventually go away. Only, they didn't. They got louder. They got more obnoxious. The only time they were made to become silent was to answer back in an even louder voice until theirs was no voice at all.

You can ignore groups like this all you want. Stick your fingers in your ears, shut your eyes and cry out "la la la la la" all you want. It won't bother these idiots one bit. In fact, by doing so you validate their message, because you refuse to take a stand. You refuse to give back a message of your own. Your silence, to them, is seen as capitulation, and it emboldens them, allowing them to commit more acts of hatred and intolerance, and laughing at you all the while doing it.

If one 9-year-old-boy who's had enough of these idiots is willing to stand up to them and fight against their hatred, why won't you? Why do you insist on remaining silent and giving credence to this group? Because that is EXACTLY what ignoring them does.

I learned the hard way long ago that ignoring a problem does not make it go away. It only makes it worse. I'm sorry you cannot see that. Maybe one day you will. I hope it's sooner than later.

I said coverage of the public taking a stand is great. Want to see more of it. But news just on whatever stupidity Westboro did today isn't answering them back in an even louder voice. That only amplifies their own voice. That's what I'm saying. We need more of what you're describing and less of what's commonly being covered in the news.

I said coverage of the public taking a stand is great. Want to see more of it. But news just on whatever stupidity Westboro did today isn't answering them back in an even louder voice. That only amplifies their own voice. That's what I'm saying. We need more of what you're describing and less of what's commonly being covered in the news.

Have you not thought that giving this group coverage is in fact a very important means of fighting back against them? It's a form of public shaming. The more people are aware of this group and their actions, the more people are disgusted by them and are willing to stand up against them. This kind of coverage serves as a medium by which counter-protests can be organized. Why would you want to shut off a vital part of the fight?

Yes, you may roll your eyes every time another news story about the WBC comes out, but just remember, every time one does, there could be a hundred more people made aware of this group that there wasn't before (and believe me, there are plenty of people who don't know about this group). Of those 100 people, maybe 10 of which will join in the fight against them.

No, I don't want the news to stop. I want even more news about them than there was before. I want more people exposed to the hatred and intolerance of this group. I want more people disgusted by their behaviours and willing to do their part to see that this group's actions are blunted... or possibly even stopped.

By wanting the news about the WBC to stop, you hinder our efforts.

Quote originally posted by Keiran777:

No, I'm pretty sure they aren't classified as a hate group which is why they are still tax exempt.

Sorry, I should have been more specific, they ARE classified as a hate group -- in Canada and in the UK, which is why there is a travel ban against the WBC from entering those countries. In the U.S. they are designated as a hate group, but only by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is not a government run group, so their designation doesn't mean much by law.

Have you not thought that giving this group coverage is in fact a very important means of fighting back against them? It's a form of public shaming. The more people are aware of this group and their actions, the more people are disgusted by them and are willing to stand up against them. This kind of coverage serves as a medium by which counter-protests can be organized. Why would you want to shut off a vital part of the fight?

Yes, you may roll your eyes every time another news story about the WBC comes out, but just remember, every time one does, there could be a hundred more people made aware of this group that there wasn't before (and believe me, there are plenty of people who don't know about this group). Of those 100 people, maybe 10 of which will join in the fight against them.

No, I don't want the news to stop. I want even more news about them than there was before. I want more people exposed to the hatred and intolerance of this group. I want more people disgusted by their behaviours and willing to do their part to see that this group's actions are blunted... or possibly even stopped.

By wanting the news about the WBC to stop, you hinder our efforts.

Sorry, I should have been more specific, they ARE classified as a hate group -- in Canada and in the UK, which is why there is a travel ban against the WBC from entering those countries. In the U.S. they are designated as a hate group, but only by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is not a government run group, so their designation doesn't mean much by law.

They're like animals in the sense that they can't differentiate against good and bad attention. The best way is to ignore them, I agree.

However, if they truly think that, I think the best way to make them stop is show them what it says on that bible thing they use because why not?

from least to most relevant:

Quote originally posted by Romans 13:

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Quote originally posted by Romans 14:

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]

Quote originally posted by Romans 1-2:

32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

I have nothing to say but that. It's not even right what they're doing, and even more so with these passages in mind.

Okay, this is good and all, but stop giving these clowns publicity! We all need to ignore them, because they've even stated that they want publicity. It just seems like the news outlets like to go nuts every time one of those loons does anything, regardless of whether it's notable or not. They're just feeding the fire.

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Okay, this is good and all, but stop giving these clowns publicity! We all need to ignore them, because they've even stated that they want publicity. It just seems like the news outlets like to go nuts every time one of those loons does anything, regardless of whether it's notable or not. They're just feeding the fire.

I've already stated why this won't work. Numerous times. There is a simple truth which some people have a problem comprehending: ignoring a problem does not make it go away. All these people advocating ignorance are quite frankly only making it more difficult for those of us who are in the trenches trying to fight this kind of bigotry.

I've already stated why this won't work. Numerous times. There is a simple truth which some people have a problem comprehending: ignoring a problem does not make it go away. All these people advocating ignorance are quite frankly only making it more difficult for those of us who are in the trenches trying to fight this kind of bigotry.

It's not ignoring a problem, it's ignoring their message. The coverage amplifies and legitimatizes their horrible message. It's like propaganda, it works when it is repeated.

I don't think showing what's wrong, which is what you seem to be advocating, works. I think showing why it's wrong works. The why is the message you want to spread and amplify, not the message of the WBC.

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